The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-12-28
ABOUT SMALL FARMS.
When They Continue TO BE Profitable an
When They Do Not.

MANY lIGV6 NCNl IitSo INV SAAA~A'
earms-those containing forty acres or
thereabouts-in the older-settled Of the
Western States have recently changed
hands or are offered for sale. The own
ers desire to dispose of them SO as to
raise money to buy larger places in the
West. where land is cheap, or to use in
some business other than farming.
They would not be likely to make such
n statement to prospective purchaser,
but they have informed their neigh
bors that their small farms are I'M
profitable. To persons in their conf
dence they would state that their places
pay less each succeeding year. By the
exercise of diligence and economy
they are able to make living for
themselves and their families, but they
would be able 10 do this if they worked
for wages. Taxes, insurance, repairs
of buildings and fences, and the money
paid out for implements, leave little to
represent the profits derived from the
capital invested in the place. BY rails
ing variety of field, orchard and gar
den crops they find it comparatively
easy to supply their families with food,
but the difficulty is in obtaining money
to meet other necessary expenses.
Franklin in Poor Richards Alma
nae" had much TO say of the profits
and delights Of little farm we'll
titled. When he wrote, however,
farming operations were conducted
very differently from what they are at
present There was then no agricult-
ural machinery. The only imple-
ments operated by animals were the
plow and harrow. Grain was sown
and corn was planted by hand. The
cultivation of crops was done by the
mid of the hand hoe. All the small
grains were harvested with the sickle
and were thrashed out with the hand
fail. A farm of forty acres was as
large as a man with the aid of boy
or two could manage. He could sue
cessfully compete in the raising of
crops or the production of meat with
the man who owned thousand acres
of land and hired most of the help to
work it. At that time the farming
region of the country was confined to
the wooded section, a I'd materials for
fences and buildings were obtained in
the forest without other expense than
cutting and hauling. which were gen.
orally done in the winter. when there
was little else to do. The small farms
required proportionately more build
ings and fences than the large ones,
but both were erected without the ex-
penditure of much money.
The general introduction of farm
machinery revolutionized the produc-
ton of grain and the cutting of grass
to convert into hay The owner of a
small farm could not afford to buy all
the machines needed to do his work.
and found it difficult to obtain them
for occasional use on his place. With
hand tools he could not successfully
compete with the large farmers who
had machines for doing almost all
kinds of work. He labored under dis
advantages that were constantly in
creasing. Machines increased produc-
ton. and. as consequences, reduced
prices. In the W est the condition of
small farmers became worse than in
the East. On the prairies the farmer
had to buy all the materials for erect
ing his buildings and fences, and had
also to purchase his fuel. In the East
he had wood to burn and lumber and
stone tor building barns, houses and
fences. The larger the farm the less
is the cost per acre for necessary build
ings and fences. The smaller the farm
the larger the proportion of land that
is not productive in consequence of
being too near fence to pillow.
1t is generally believed that the lit
tie farms are better titled than the
large ones. But careful observation
shows that such is not ordinarily the
case. The small farm is generally
managed in such a manner as to cause
the soil to lose its fertility in short
time. Only small proportion of the
land is kept in grass or other crops
that do not exhaust the soil. A sys-
tenn of rotation can not be carried out
on small place as well as on a large
one. A small farm is not profitable
for producing grain for the market.
Neither can it be made profitable for
Hairy purposes. Not enough milk can
be produced to make it an object to
take it to cheese or butter factory.
II the milk is converted into butter at
homo the chances are that it will be
of Imperfect quality and must be dis
posed of at a low price. Few very
small farms have good facilities for
keeping milk or for making butter.
Snail farms in the vicinity of large
towns are more likely to be profitable
than those located at q distance from
them. A large town makes good
market for numerous little things for
which there is no demand in the coun-
try. Raising poultry is profitable if
fowls and eggs can be disposed of di-
rectly to consumers. Poultry keeping
is seldom profitable if fowls and eggs
have to be sent to distant market and
pass through the hands of several mid
dlemen. If small farm is located
near a city or village money can be
made il raising all kinds of vegetables
and small fruits, Extra help for weed
ing and thinning garden vegetables